The invention relates to a process for preparing a multilayer, especially strand-like, and especially thin-layer confectionery product, especially of aerated ice cream and the likely (hereinafter referred to as ice cream) with interlayered covering, especially cocoa-glaze layers, on a base bed, which generally contains at least two and preferably a greater plurality of layers or beds disposed one above the other, of which at least one layer is injection-molded under pressure from a nozzle-like injection-molding die onto a base bed or onto a lower confectionery or covering layer, especially when confectionery-material-free air chambers are formed at least in sections between two neighboring layers and/or especially when the vertical dimension of at least one and preferably a plurality of wavy layer(s) is larger than its (layer) thickness; the supporting base bed for the confectionery product to be prepared and/or a layer lying thereunder in the confectionery product has, for at least part of the time during the preparation, a relatively increased velocity relative to the confectionery material discharge or delivery rate of the injection-molding die.
The invention also relates to a device for preparing a multilayer, especially strand-like, and especially thin-layer confectionery product, especially of aerated ice cream with interlayered covering, especially cocoa-glaze layers, on a base bed, which contains at least two layers disposed one above the other, with at lest one injection-molding or spraying die, which is in communication through at least one nozzle feed line with at least one confectionery-material reservoir to be subjected to excess pressure by means of a pressure generator, and the injection-molding die of which is so designed or disposed that its outlet direction encloses an angle of less than 90.degree. with the base bed and with a base bed supporting the confectionery product to be formed, especially for carrying out the aforesaid process.
The invention also relates to a multilayer, especially thin-layer and/or strand-like confectionery product, especially an aerated ice cream with interlayered covering, especially cocoa-glaze layers, with at least two confectionery layers disposed one above the other, especially with confectionery-material-free air chambers disposed at least in sections between layers disposed one above the other, and/or especially with at least one wavy layer, the vertical dimension of which is larger than its (layer) thickness.
Just as confectionery products consisting of, for example and especially, ice cream, as well as of, for example and especially, cocoa-glaze layers, and having the most diverse configurations are known, so have processes and devices for the preparation thereof been known for many years.
For the preparation of confectionery products of the type under consideration here, the most diverse processes and devices--depending on the confectionery product in question--are known that respectively are devoted entirely to the confectionery product in question. As regards the creation known as a "confectionery product", when one thinks of, for example and especially, a multilayer ice cream product, one is reminded in this regard of, for example, the creation of neapolitan and spumoni ice cream, the ice cream products cited above having been known for many years in the art pertaining thereto.
Japanese Patent Application 20065/1966 describes a two-layer ice confection which contains, among other substances, a confectionery filling as well as a chocolate or cocoa coating.
Ice-cream sandwiches with biscuit constituents are described, in, for example, British Pat. No. 1,219,593.
In the process known from U.S. Pat. No. 2,517,756, an ice-cream material that is still or already capable of flowing is filled into containers that already contain relatively hard biscuits.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,770,460 discloses a process in which flowable, edible materials are filled successively into a mold and frozen for the preparation of ice popsicles.
For the preparation of a "multilayer" alimentary-ice confectionery product of the Stratiatella type, U.S. Pat. No. 2,289,326 discloses how to provide perforations or holes in a block consisting of ice-cream material, which holes are filled with a covering material such as syrup or the like.
A multilayer product consisting of different confectionery materials has also been disclosed by Japanese Patent Application 55/104,857.
Confectionery products of, for example, three layers, that are extruded are known from, for example, British Pat. No. 1,439,143.
British Pat. No. 2,072,482 discloses a multilayer food product with intermediate layers of a covering material such as, for example, cocoa glaze, and British Pat. No. 1,354,469 discloses a process for preparing a confectionery product in which a relatively sticky material is extruded onto a melted layer of a coating material.
Whenever the terms "extrusion", "extrusion device", "extrusion nozzle" or the like are used hereinbefore or hereinafter, it should be noted that the term of "extrusion" carries the meaning as known in the pertinent art.
The material to be processed is not heated (this would certainly be a catastrophe; for example, an ice cream mix is processed at approximately -6.degree. to -8.degree.C.), but instead--as is clear from British Pat. No. 1,059,979, for example--the extrusion device is merely a kind of injection-molding device with a reservoir for confectionery material such as ice cream mix (plus, if necessary, a second storage reservoir for cocoa glaze or the like), the contents of which are to be forced by means of an excess pressure (to be applied, for example, by a pump or by a pressurized hydraulic or pneumatic fluid) out of at least one outlet hole of the storage reservoir, with which a "nozzle"--if necessary by means of a connecting line --is in communication. If necessary, a kind of distributor can be disposed after such an outlet point of such a storage reservoir, if the intention is to form two or more layers from one and the same storage reservoir; or a plurality of storage reservoirs can also be disposed in series for the same purpose, it then again being possible to dispose, on each storage reservoir, at least one outlet or charging tube or the like, the free outlet end of which is described predominantly as the "extrusion nozzle" in the publications discussed above.
The application of such in injection-molding process to the narrower art of preparation of confectionery products, especially ice cream, has already been known for many years --as has also been explained above. For example, a special-purpose machine manufacturer (namely GHN Sondermaschinenbau GmbH, Hamburg, and its legal predecessor, the Kurt Hintze Company) has already been offering such injection-molding machines to the ice cream industry for many years. A publication on the application of such an injection-molding process to the preparation of ice cream is to be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,020.643. The ice cream industry then adopted this basic process much later and somewhat further developed it in its details. In this regard, reference can be made, for example, to West German Offenlegungsschrift 3,231,560, which discloses a process and a device with pivotable injection-molding dies (extrusion nozzles) for the formation of wavy layers. A process with the same result is described in, for example, West German Patent 3,436,578, in which process such wavy layers are produced by a differential velocity between a belt conveyor functioning as the supporting base bed and the "extrusion nozzles", by the fact that the outlet velocity of the injection-molding device is greater than the velocity of the belt conveyor.
The formation of such wavy layers as defined above (i.e., confectionery layers that have substantially "wavy" or "zigzag" or similar shape) has proved to be expedient for various reasons, and specifically with regard in the first place to the preparation of confectionery products according to the characteristic features of this invention and in the second place to the confectionery product itself in terms of its appearance and probably also--albeit to a relatively small extent--in terms of the "eating experience". Last but not least, such a confectionery product with enclosed air chambers is unquestionably advantageous from the viewpoint of sales psychology as well, since it necessarily leads to a relatively large volume product for a given weight of confectionery mix, which product, relative to other comparable confectionery products, meets with corresponding approval among the potential buyers for this reason also, among others.